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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: ground · bound · trunk · mine · squash · jam · scale · nail

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. ground — a position
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. ground — the earth
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. scale — in music
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. mine — for digging
  14. squash — the sport
  15. bound — obliged
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. squash — to crush
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. scale — size or range
  23. ground — crushed
  24. bound — certain

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com